Cleaning apparatus



Dec. 6, 1966 K. J. HEINICKE ETAL 3,289,942

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l =HH-e a an"II/IIIIIIIAW); mv u'roRs.

23 22 I9 KURT J. HEINICKE F i g 4 ROBERT LAWRENCE III WILLIAM J.LANGEVIN JR.

ATTORNEY Dec. 6, 1966 K. J. HElNlCKE ETAL. 3,289,942

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 N V EN 'I'URSKURT d. HEINICKE ROBERT LAWRENCEIII WILLIAM J. LANGEVIN JR.

United States Patent 3,289,942 CLEANING APPARATUS Kurt J. Heinicke,Robert Lawrence 111, and William J. Langevin, Jr., Hollywood, Fla,assignors to Heinicke Instruments Co., Hollywood, Fla., a corporation ofFlorida Filed May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,293 6 Claims. (Cl. 239-101)This invention relates to a washing or cleaning apparatus whereinpressurized fluids are employed to clean trucks, buses, locomotives orthe like to effectively remove any deposits or contamination from suchitems.

The invention comprises a hand held wand for con- .ducting thepressurized elements from a source of pressure to be injected upon theparts of vehicles or the like and with the wand being held by the handof the operator so as to reach the several relatively inaccessible partsof the vehicle and with the wand having a head portion that is connectedto the sources of the several elements, such as water, air and adetergent and with the wand at one end being provided with a nozzle thatis adapted to spray the several fluid elements upon the vehicle or thelike.

The invention comprises also a wand having a head portion that isconnected to a source of water, a source of air and a source ofdetergent, all being connected to the .nozzle and with the source ofwater being energized in a pulsing action and also the air beinginjected into a water conducting conduit to impart a pulsing actionfurther to the water prior to its discharge from the nozzle.

Novelfeatures of construction and operation of the device will be moreclearly apparent during the course of the following description,reference being had to the acfor and control means for the severalfluids entering the wand.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there has been villustrated aWand as a whole, illustrated at 5. The wand includes a head portion 6 towhich is connected a source of water 7. The source of water 7 isprovided with a pulsing device shown in US. Patent 2,947,312. From anopposite side of the head 6, the water passes to a cylindrical conduit8' that is intermediately bent at 9 and then extended at 10 to beconnected to a nozzle 11. A source of pressurized air conduit 12 passesthrough the head 6 and enters the conduit 10 and this air is pulsedthrough a pulsing device 13 in the form of a solenoid ,valve prior toits entry into the conduit 10 and to create a pulsing action upon thewater from the conduit 8. The air supply 12 Within the head 6 is alsocontrolled by the solenoid valve 13 and the pulsing device 13 creatingan 3,289,942 Patented Dec. 6, 1966 interrupted flow of the air to bemixed with the water in the conduit 10. The end of the air supply pipe12 is tapered at 15 to effectively impart the pulsing to the water.

As clearly shown in FIGURE 4, the spray head 11 has a shouldered portion16 that is grooved at 17 upon its discharge side and this shoulder isconnected to a conduit 10 leading from the head 6. Also connected to thenozzle 11 is the detergent pipe 18 passes through a bore 19 of thenozzle and then upwardly through a lateral bore 20 to a recess 21 of thenozzle to be mixed with the pulsating water from the conduit 10. A checkvalve 22, being biased to a closed position by a spring 23 functions tointerrupt the flow of the detergent to the surface 21 of the nozzle. Theface of the nozzle 11 is forwardly curved to direct an upward spray ofthe water from the conduit 10 and this spray passing over the lateralbore 20 functions to inject the pressurized detergent upwardly to bemixed with the spray indicated generally at 11'. The nozzle 11 has beenillustrated as having a face 21 that is curved upwardly at its outer endhowever, the face 21 may function just as well by having the face 21extend entirely to the front end of the nozzle.

As illustrated in FIGURE 5, the head 6 and the several conduits 8, 12and 18 are controlled by a pump illustrated generally at 24. The pumpillustrated at 24 in FIGURE 5 includes a pump rod 25 that is shifted ina back and forth manner by crank arm 26, upon a shaft 27 that is drivenfrom an electric motor 28. The pump rod 25 enters a pump housing 29,having a bore 30 for the reception of the pump rod 25 and the pumpreceives a source of fluid from an inlet 31. An'outlet for the bore 30is indicated at 32 and disposed within the bore 30 is a pulsing device33, as in Pat. No. 2,947,312, to impart a pulsing action to the fluidbeing ejected through the pipe 32, corresponding to the inlet 7 ofFIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 5.

Fixed upon the pump rod 25 is a disk 34, having an electromagnet 35 thatfunctions to actuate a switch 36 at each passage of the pump rod beneaththe switch housing 37.

Also disposed within the head 6 is the solenoid valve 13. A source ofelectrical energy 38 is connected to one side of the switch 36 by aconductor 39 and also to the solenoid valve 13 by a conductor 40. Theopposite side of the switch 36 is connected to the solenoid valve 13 bya conductor 41. Disposed between the conductors 39 and 41 is a remotecontrolled switch 42.

While the solenoid valve 13 has been employed to interrupt the flow ofair to the conduit 10, it should be understood that any other desirablemeans may be employed in lieu of solenoid valve 13 such as a mechanicalmeans that is actuated to alternately open and close the air line 12.

In the use of the device, the motor 28 is energized and functions toshift the pump rod 25 back and forth, through the pump housing 29 and todraw the water from a suitable source of supply to the bore 30 when therod is moved in one direction and to compress and discharge the waterthrough the pulsing device 33 to the conduit 32, leading to the fluidsupply pipe 7. After the fluid leaves the pipe 7, it is again subjectedto a pulsing action for subsequent discharge through the nozzle 11 at arelatively high pressure and with the pump in operation, the magnet 35passes back and forth beneath the switch housing 37, closing and openingthe switch 36 that controls the solenoid valve 13, intermittentlypermitting compressed air to pass through and into the conduit where itagain functions to pulse the fluid prior to its discharge from thenozzle 11.

Further, with respect to the washing apparatus, there has been provideda non-flexible wand carrying the various supply pipes from the head 6and terminating at the nozzle 11. In the water supply pipe 7, there hasbeen injected a pulsating device providing the high frequency pulsatingstream and also in the head 6, there has been provided in the air line12, a pulsating device in the form of a solenoid valve 13 and thepressurized air in pulsating form is injected into the water line 10,increasing the energy level of the liquid stream resulting in a pulsepeak pressure greater than the energy level of either the liquid orgaseous medium. When the pulse reaches the nozzle 11, the spray angle isdecreased, focusing the high energy liquid on the item being cleaned.

The combination of high frequency and low frequency pulsing spraypattern focusing the results in a cleaning action having a capabilitymany times greater than possibly using a steady stream of liquidpressure. Chemicals, such as detergents may be injected into the spraypattern at the nozzle and the detergent is fed into the high pressurefluid just beyond the point where the solid stream breaks up, resultingin immediate and complete mixing of the detergent with the water. Thedetergent flow may be controlled at the wand by a button located nearthe 'operators hands and not shown, since the detergent passing throughthe line 18 is pressurized by a pump, also not shown.

The combination of low frequency and high frequency pulsations in thespray pattern and focusing of the spray pattern with the chemicalinjection is most effective for the removal of road films, hydrocarbondeposits, diesel oil remnants, rust and scales heretofore not obtainablewith existing methods.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the preciseconstruction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fallwithin the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scopeof the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. A washing apparatus that includes a rigid wand having a head portionat one end and a spray nozzle rat the opposite end, a source of Washingfluid extending through the head and connected to the nozzle, a sourceof pressurized air also extending through the head and into the line offlow of the water and a pressurized detergent extending through the headand terminating at the nozzle, an impulse device located Within thewater line adjacent its point of passing through the head and an impulsedevice located within the head and connected to the source ofpressurized air whereby to impart a pulsation to the air that isdischarged into the Water line between the head and the nozzle and meansfor energizing the second named impulse device Within the head.

2. A washing apparatus of the character described comprising a rigidwand having a head portion and a discharge nozzle, a source of waterunder pressure that passes through the head and connected to the nozzle,a source of pressurized air passing through the head and entering theline of flow of the water from the head to the nozzle, the pressurizedair line being provided with an whereby to pulsate the water to befurther pulsated 'by the pressurized air and the solenoid valve andmeans to alternately open and close the solenoid valve to close and openthe pressurized air line.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the nozzle is providedwith an upper curved face for receiv ing the pulsating water from thewater line and to direct a spray of water or cleaning fluid upwardly atan angle, the detergent line being connected to a lower part of thenozzle and into -a bore of the nozzle and with the bore being connectedto an upwardly extending lateral bore that communicates with the upperface of the nozzle and whereby fluid from the water line is mixed withthe pressurized detergent from the lateral bore as it passes over theface of the nozzle and a check valve disposed within the nozzle forclosing the detergent line against feeding of detergent to the spraywhen pressure upon the detergent line has been interrupted.

4. The structure according to claim 2 wherein a pump is provided topressurize water that passes through the water line prior to itsentrance to the head, the pump having a housing that has a longitudinalbore for the reception of a pump rod, the pump housing and an inlet froma source of water supply to the bore, the first named bore at itsdischarge and being provided with an impulse generating device forimparting an impulse to the water flowing through the water line, asource of electrical energy that is connected to the solenoid valve ofthe air line, a switch device disposed in one conductor from the sourceof electrical energy and a magnetic device fixed to the pump rod thatpasses back and forth beneath the switch to close and open the switchunder the influence of the movement of the pump rod, the switch havingconductors connected with the source of energy and the solenoid valvewhereby movement of the pump rod causes the switch to open and close toenergize and deenergize the solenoid valve whereby the pressurized airis pulsed to be discharged into the water line.

5. A washing device of the character described comprising a rigid wandhaving a head portion and a discharge nozzle, a source of impulsed wateradapted to pass through the head and connected to the nozzle, the pulsedwater also passing through a pulsation device disposed Within the waterline, a pressurized source of air passing through the head forterminating in the water line between the head and the nozzle, asolenoid valve disposed within the head and adapted to interrupt thepressurized air prior to its discharge into the water line thereby tofurther pulse the water being discharged from the nozzle, a source ofpressurized detergent passing through the head and connected to thenozzle, the water line being connected to the nozzle and a boreextending through a' head portion of the nozzleand a bore extendingthrough a head portion of the nozzle and with the bore upon the face ofthe head portion of the nozzle being grooved to create a relatively widespray of water, the nozzle having a curved upper face to direct thespray upwardly at an angle, the detergent line entering a bore of thenozzle and passing through an upwardly extending lateral port wherebythe spray of water functions to receive the detergent upwardly to bemixed with the spray and a spring pressed ball valve in the nozzle thatcloses the detergent line when the detergent is interrupted in its flow,a pump device for pumping water to the water line, the pump devicehaving a pump housing that is provided with a longitudinal bore entirelytherethrough and a water inlet to the bore, the pump device including amotor actuated crank and a pump rod having one end slidable in the boreof the pump housing whereby to pull the water from the water supply tothe bore of the housing and a discharge pipe from the pump housing thatis provided with an impulse generating device and whereby to pulsate thewater passing to the water line, the pump rod being provided with abracket that is movable with the pump rod and with the bracket beingprovided at its upper end with an electro-ma-gnet, a control switchbeneath which the bracket passes and with the switch being closed andopened by the magnet, the switch being connected to a source ofelectrical energy at one side and Wit-h the solenoid valve from theother side and whereby movement of the pump rod alternately opens andcloses the solenoid valve to impart a pulsation action to the airpassing through the Water line to the nozzle and a remotely controlledswitch connected between the conductors leading to the solenoid valve.

6. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the pressurized air lineentering the Water line is provided at its terminal end with a tapereddeflector, the several impulse devices serving to pulse the waterleading to the nozzle and to also pulse the air from the pressurized airline.

No references cited.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

1. A WASHING APPARATUS THAT INCLUDES A RIGID WAND HAVING A HEAD PORTIONAT ONE END AND A SPRAY NOZZLE AT THE OPPOSITE END, A SOURCE OF WASHINGFLUID EXTENDING THROUGH THE HEAD AND CONNECTED TO THE NOZZLE, A SOURCEOF PRESSURIZED AIR ALSO EXTENDING THROUGH THE HEAD AND INTO THE LINE OFFLOW OF THE WATER AND A PRESSURIZED DETERGENT EXTENDING THROUGH THE HEADAND TERMINATNG AT THE NOZZLE, AN IMPULSE DEVICE LOCATED WITHIN THE WATERLINE ADJACENT ITS POINT OF PASSING THROUGH THE HEAD AND AN IMPULSEDEVICE LOCATED WITHIN THE HEAD AND CONNECTED TO THE SOURCE OFPRESSURIZED AIR WHEREBY TO IMPART A PULSATION TO THE AIR THAT ISDISCHARGED INTO THE WATER LINE BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE NOZZLE AND MEANSFOR ENERGIZING THE SECOND NAMED IMPULSE DEVICE WITHIN THE HEAD.